Costa



July 15, 1952 COSTA 2,603,392

DISPLAY MANIKIN Filed July 30, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 IN! EN TOR. coNsTAu'n no cosTA HTTORNijs July 15, 1952 COSTA 2,603,392

DISPLAY MANIKIN Filed July 30, 1949 2 SHEETS SHEET 2 INVENTOR. CONSTANTINO COSTA Patented July 15, 1952 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE My invention relates to a new and improved manikin and in particular to a manikin which has an improved waist construction whereby the torso or upper part of the manikin can be adjusted at its waist relative to its lower part.

Display manikins are of two general types, namely, stand and flexible. The stand manikins consist of one or more parts which are fixed rigidly to each other. The "flexible manikins are made of parts which are movable relative to each other. It is much more complicated and expensive to make flexible manikins than stand manikins.

According to my invention, I provide a manikin which has an internal construction whereby the manikin can be used either as a"stand or flexible manikinl' The internal parts disclosed herein can be used'i'n either new and inold manikins or various styles oi manikinsl In addition, the invention greatly're'duces the cost and time of manufacture. v e

Other objects or the invention are disclosed in the annexed description and drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment.

Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of the upper plate of the manikin, together with the rod which is fixed to said upper internal plate. The bottom part of Fig. 1A is a top'plan "view of said plate} Fig. 2 is partially in vertical elevation and partially in vertical section and shows the lower plate which is fixed to the lower part of the manikin, together with certainfparts accessory to said lower platej Fig. 2A is a top plan view of said lower plate; I

Fig. 3 is an elevation which shows the ball. and rod which-constitute an element of the invention Fig. 4 is a side elevation of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the assemblyof the parts illustrated in Figsl and 2 with therespective upperand lower-plates :abutting each other, corresponding to a stand 'rnanikin;

Fig. 6 is a perspective'view of the: device, with the parts thereof shown exploded;

Fig. '7 is a verticalendelevation, partially in vertical section, showing the improved manikin with the plates of- Figs. 1 and- 2 held in relative fixed and abutting position in order to use the manikin as a stand? manikin; V

Fig. 8 is an end elevation which shows said plates in vertical spaced relation and indifferent angular relations; and 11 1 Fig. 9 is a side elevationoi Fig. 8. s As one illustration, the .body' of the manikin is made in two parts, whichcan bejoined at the 'lClaims. (01. 223-68) waist of the mam'kin. These body parts comprise an upper body partor torso part Ayand a lower body part Aa. These body parts A and Ad have identical rigid respective base members B and Ba fixed respectively thereto. These hollow, discshaped base members B and Ba are made of metal or any other material.

As shown in Fig. 6, the lower base member Ba has a vertical, depending, circular. flange Ca and its upper face has a recess Ea. at the edge of a through-andthrough opening or perforation Da.

The lower plate 6 fits in the top recess Ea, and said lower plate 6 is fixed by suitable fastening means to lower base member Ba. Saidfastening means extend through holes l6 of plate 6 and holes Fa of base member Ba.

As shown in Fig. 2,.the upper face of lower plate 6 is provided with asocket l, which is open at its bottom and which has a top opening 9. The plate 6 is open atthe bottom of socket Lwhose internal wall has the shape of a part of a sphere. A vertical and externally threaded pipe I0 is fixed to the lower face of plate 6, in alinement with the ope bottom end of socket 1 and the cone sponding alined opening of plate 6. f

A nut i l removably engages the external thread of pipe it. Said nut II is closed at its lower end, and it houses a'compressionspring l2. Rod M has a square or other non-circular cross-section. Said rod M has a reduced extension l5, which is fixed in a' recess of ball l3.

When nut i is temporarily removed'irom pipe Hi, the rod Hi can be moved into the position shown in Fig. 2, upwardly through socket l. The nut l I can then be screwed upon pipe Hi. When spring I2 is under little or nocompression, ball 63 can turn freely in socket 1. When nut H is screwed upon pipe Ill in order to subject spring I2 to suitable compression, the friction between ball 53 and the internal wall of socket 7 holds ball I 3 in fixed selected position relative to socket E. i

When lower plate 6 is fixed to lower base member Ba, the nut l l extends-through the opening Da of lower base member Biz, so that nut H can be easily manipulated.

The upper base member B has an upstanding flange C, and it is provided with a recess at its bottom face, which is similar to recess Ea. Said upper base member B has an opening D.

The upper plate I has a hollow rod 4 fixed thereto by legs 5. Said plate i has 'holes 3, through which screws or other fastening members may extend. Said upper plate I is fixed to base member B, at and abutting the bottom recessed face of said base member B. The hollow rod 4 then extends above the upper base member B and the legs 5 extend through opening D. The plates I and 6 may be made of metal or other material, and their shapes may vary.

If desired, the torso A and the lower body part Aa can be assembled with theplates .I and 6 abutting each other, and with inner rod I4 extending through outer hollow rod 4. Said rods I4 and 4 preferably interfit, so that inner rod I4 cannot turn in outer rod 4, since said rods have non-circular cross-sections or other means to prevent such relative turning.

The upper plate I has a central opening 2, which has lateral extensions 2b. The lower plate 6 has lugs 8 which are fixed to the outer wall of socket I. When plates I and 6 are moved to abut each other, the lugs 8 are passed through extensions 2b, and socket I extends through opening 2. A slight turning movement of plate I relative to plate 6 will then interlock said plates I and 6 by means of lugs 8, and nut II can be tightened to clamp ball I3 in socket I, with rods 4 and I4 in vertical position. In such case, the device operates as a stand manikin.

If it is desired angularly to adjust the torso A of the manikin relative to its lower part Aa, the plate I is raised to a selected height above plate 6, so that the torso A is similarly raised above the lower part Aa. The outer rod 4 is thus slid upwardly relative to inner rod I 4.

While ball I3 is loose and turnable in socket I, the plate I is tilted to a desired angle relative to plate 6. The nut I I is then tightened in order to clamp ball I3'in its adjusted position in socket I, thus holding plate I in the desired angular relation to plate 6.

When thus adjusted, the outer rod 4 cannot turn on inner stop'rod I4. Said inner rod stop I4 has a longitudinal recess IT, in which a rod I8 is located. Said rod I8 is pivoted at I 9 to inner rod I4. When outer rod 4 has been thus adjusted longitudinally relative ,to inner rod I4, stop rod I8 is located as shown in Fig. 5, in which stop rod I8 is prevented from further downward turning by the lower edge-wall of recess I1, and rod I8 acts as a stop to prevent plate I from Sliding down from its adjusted position. When in stop position, rod I8 may extend through an extension 217.

Any suitable means can be used to hold outer rod 4 temporarily fixed to inner rod I 4, when plate I is at the desired distance above plate 6 and at the desired angular relation to plate 6.

Fig. 7, the plates I and 6 abut each other, and the two parts A and Ac are vertically alined and fixed to each other.

In Fig. 8, the plate I is spaced upwardly from and is parallel to plate 6, in the full-line position of plate I. This shows how the height of the manikin may be adjusted. The broken line positions of plate I show its extreme angular adjustments.

For convenience, the plate B is designated as the first plate and plate Ba. is designated as the second plate. When I refer to a manikin, I include all display devices and fixtures. Also, the invention is not limited to an adjustable waist connection of a manikin. Hence, the part A is designated as a first part and the part Aa is designated as a second part of the manikin or other display device or display fixture.

For convenience, the perforations or openings 4 2 and 9 are designated as longitudinal openings. I prefer to use four connecting legs 5, which are equally angularly spaced, in order to rigidly connect rod 4 to connecting member I. The spaced legs 5 make it possible to tilt the reduced extension I5 between a pair of selected legs 5.

I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, but numerous changes and omissions and additions can be made without departing from its scope. The invention also includes the sub-combinations disclosed herein.

I claim:

1. A manikin which has a first part which has a longitudinal axis and a second part, a first connecting member fixed to a face of said first part and having a longitudinal opening, a second connecting member fixed to a face of said second part, and means for connecting said first member and said second member, said connecting means comprising a hollow first longitudinal rod positioned within said first part and attached to said first member, a socket fixed to said second member, a bearing member which is mounted within said socket, a second rod attached to said bearing member and extending through an opening in said socket and being slidably disposed within said first rod, said bearing member being turnable within said socket so as to incline said second part at a selected angle with respect to said longitudinal axis, means for manually releasably clamping said bearing member to said socket in said selected position of said second part, and means for manually releasably clamp ing said first rod to said second rod at selected relative axial positions thereof.

2. A manikin according to claim 1, in which said first rod is attached to said first member by a plurality of spaced legs, said second rod being located between adjacent spaced legs when said first connecting member is spaced from and inclined to said second connecting member.

3. A manikin accordingto claim 1, in which said means for clamping saidbearing member to said socket consist of a pipe which has an external thread and which is fixed to said second connecting member and which extends away from said first connecting member, said pipe communicating with said socket through an opening of said second connecting member, a compression clamping spring located in said pipe, and a nut mounted on said pipe and movable on said pipe to compress said spring and clamp said bearing member to the inner wall of said socket.

4. A manikin according to claim 1, in which the inner wall of said socket has the shape of a part of a sphere and said bearing member is ball-shaped. Y

5. A manikin according to claim 1, in which said means for clamping said bearing member to said socket consist of a pipe which has an external thread and which is fixed to said second connecting member 'and which extends away from said first connecting member, said pipe communicating with said socket through an opening of said second connecting member, a compression clamping spring located in said pipe, and a nut mounted on said pipe and movable on said pipe to compress said spring and clamp said bearing member to the inner wall of said socket, the inner wall of said socket has the shape of a part of a sphere, and said bearing member is a ball which extends into said pipe.

6. A manikin according to claim 1, in which said opening of said first connecting member REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,191,691 Greenwald July 18, 1916 1,880,798 Cella Oct. 4, 1932 2,458,917 Prisco Jan. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 21,167 Great Britain Oct. 18, 1905 

